My Sportsman Choice: Michael Phelps

By E.M. Swift

Michael Phelps' simple act of unselfishness stands out above his eight medals. Simon Bruty/SI  Chris Stone: Red Sox Nation, you've earned this one  Paul Zimmerman: Boy Wonder brought Boston a title  B.J. Schecter: Red Sox captured Boston's heart  Richard Deitsch: The Babe had a big presence in '04  Rick Reilly: Big Papi did it all for the world champs  Jeffri Chadiha: A reward for reversing The Curse  Lisa Altobelli: Ramirez never took anything seriously  • Sportsman of the Year archive

My 2004 Sportsman of the Year is so unassuming in appearance I failed to recognize him when we were introduced in Athens. I had just finished a long discourse inside the Sports Illustrated hospitality tent about either a) Paul Hamm or b) the excellence of the coconut-battered shrimp, when my niece, Taylor Swift, asked me to say hello to someone.

"This my uncle," she said to the young man seated across the table. The gangling lad reached across and shook my hand. He had a friendly demeanor and a vaguely familiar look about him.

"Nice to meet you," I said meaninglessly. No beaming grin of recognition. No words of congratulations. I had fanned.

"I'm sure I don't have to tell you who he is," Taylor added, too late to save me. A sinking feeling gripped the pit of my stomach. I looked closer. Michael Phelps had been on SI's cover twice in the last month, but both times he'd been wearing a swimming cap. He'd been shirtless and dripping. I'd never seen the color of his hair before. I'd assumed it was brown, not a frosted dirty blond. I hadn't known his ears stuck out like the handles of a loving cup. In person he looked like a gangle-shanked kid out of a Norman Rockwell painting, unaffected and youthful. My niece, I remembered too late, had met him while working out in the exercise room of the cruise ship SI had rented in Athens. They'd become pals.

And he'd become an Olympic hero. Entering the Games, Phelps should have been burdened by the hype surrounding his quest to tie Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals in a single Olympics, but he carried himself as if oblivious to pressure. He swam 17 races in seven days, winning eight medals, six gold and two bronze. He tied a Spitz record by winning four individual golds, and exhibited grace in defeat after finishing third in a stirring race in the 200-meter freestyle, losing to Australia's Ian Thorpe, who'd disparaged Phelps' efforts to tie Spitz. He'd done it all.

But it was a gesture of Phelps' that most impressed many of us accustomed to the selfishness of sports stars. It's what makes this year's choice, to me, an easy one. Because Sportsman of the Year isn't just about performance. If it were, maybe Vijay Singh would merit the award in 2004. Or Barry Bonds. Or Lance Armstrong, again.

In a display of sportsmanship and magnanimity on the eve of the 4 X 100 medley relay, Phelps, the top butterflyer in the world, gave his relay spot to a teammate, Ian Crocker, who hadn't yet won a gold medal. More than that, Crocker had performed poorly in the opening leg of the 4 X 100 relay a few days earlier, costing Phelps a shot at Spitz's record seven golds, and the $1 million bonus that had been offered him by Speedo were he to tie it. Phelps wanted to give Crocker a chance to redeem himself. Since he'd competed in an earlier heat in the medley relay, Phelps would still receive whatever medal the team won. But he wouldn't be in the pool. Nor on the podium afterward. He'd be cheering from the stands.

Which is what Michael Phelps was doing as Crocker turned in the fastest butterfly split in the history of the medley relay to help the U.S. team set a new world record. It was a cool moment, and a great sportsman had breathed it to life.

Did Phelps hurt his case by being arrested two weeks ago in Maryland for driving under the influence as a 19-year-old? Of course he did. If there was any evidence this was a habitual problem, it would eliminate him from Sportsman consideration. But he accepted responsibility for his actions, expressed remorse, and will, I hope, be an outspoken voice against drinking and driving going forward. He was lucky. Very lucky. The only injury from his transgression was to his golden boy image. I predict his character is such it will weather the blow.

Sports Illustrated will announce the 2004 Sportsman of the Year winner on FOX on November 28. Check back every weekday until then to read more Sportsman picks from SI writers.